Delayed-action electric switch



May 4 1926.

, 1,583,601 H. u. MITCHELL DELAYED ACTION ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed Jan. 21,1926 /6 /6 7 7 Y @Q Q 7 Y? 75 ,0 7 l D I O \y 1 7/6 30 74 InventorAttorney Patented May 4, 1926.

PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD U. MITCHELL, OF MEDFORD, OREGON.

DELAYED-ACTION ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Application filed January 21, 1926. Serial No. 82,721.-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAROLD U. MITCHELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Medford, in the county of Jackson and State of Oregon, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Delayed-Action ElectricSwitches, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention pertains to electric switches such as are designedmore especially for use in lighting circuit; and it contem plates theprovision of a delayed action electric switch-i. e., a switch calculatedto interrupt a lighting circuit not at the time when an operator pushesa button, but at a time later than the pushing of the button, this inorder to enable the operator to move about an illuminated house orapartment after pushing the button to bring about extinguishing of thelight, the operator being assured t t after the lapse of a predeterminedspace of time. following the operation of the button the circuit will beinterrupted and the lights extinguished.

To the attainment of the foregoing, the invention consists in theimprovement as hereinafter described and definitely claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification Figure1 is a view illustrative of one means for carrying my invention intoeffect.

Figures 2 and 3are detail views of the switch mechanism comprised insaid means and hereinafter explicitly referred to.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all ofthe views of the drawings. 7

It is within the purview of my invention to employ any means foraccomplishing the purpose hereinbefore set forth, the means illustratedbeing simply by way of explanation and clearness.

Among other elements the means illustrated comprises manually operableelements 1 and 2, preferably in the form of push buttons as illustrated.:Said means also comprises an appropriate frame 3, a retractile spring 4connected at one end 5 to the frame 3, and a ratchet disk 6 to which isappropriately connected at 7 one end of a cable 8, the other end ofwhich is connected to the end of the retractile spring 4 remote from theconnection of said spring to the frame 3 at the point 5. A spur gear 9is arranged alongside the ratchet disk 6 and is equipped with a pawl 10for cooperation with the teeth of the said ratchet disk. At 11 is anappropriate governor, andby reference to Figure 1 it will be noted thatthe said governor 11 is connected by a train of gearing 12 with the spurgear 9. Fulcrumed at 13 on the frame 3 is a lever 14 connected by a link15 with the before mentioned push button 1. The said lever 14 isprovided with an arm 16 for cooperation with a keeper 17 of lever typeconnected at 18 to'the push button 2. It will also be noted that thesaid lever 14 carries a spring strip 19 on' which is a hammer head 20.At 21 and 22 are terminals designed to be incorporatedin a lightingcircuit with one or more lamps and a source of electric energy, and at23 is a conductive bridge which in the position shown in Figure 1 isdesigned to complete the electric circuit, and in the position shown inFigure 3 is designed to render such circuit interrupted or broken. Thebridge or contact device 23 is carried by a rectilinearly movable andappropriately guided bar 24, 'the said bar 24 being provided withlateral projections 25 and 26 for cooperation with the hammer head 20 ashereinafter set forth. Also for cooperation with the hammer head 20 inthe manner hereinafter set forth is a projection 30 on the frame 3.

In Figure 1 the bridge or contact device 23 is shown interposed betweenand in electric connection with the terminals 21 and 22, andhence thelighting circuit will be completed through the element 23. Assuming nowthat a person in authority wishes to.

bring a delayed breaking or interruption of the lighting circuit and theextinguishing of the light or' lamp after the lapse of a predeterminedperiod of time, it is simply necessary for such person to press inwardlyon the button 2 so as to effect the release of the arm 16 of the lever14; it being understood in this connection that the fulcrum portion ofthe lever 14 and the ratchet disk 6 are fixed with respect to each otherand are adapted to turn or swing as one piece. From this it follows thaton the release of the arm 16 from the keeper 17, the contraction of thespring 4 will bring about movement of the disk 6 and the lever 14incounterclockwise direction, and this movement will be a slow or delayedmovement because of the accompanying movement of the spur gear 9connected by the train of gearing with the governor 11. Incident tosuch'movement the hammer head 20 will bring up against the projection 30on the frame 3 and the spring strip 19 will bebowed and put undertension, and then following the tensioning of the strip 19, the hammerhead 20 will slip out of engagement with the projection 30 and bystriking the lateral projection 25 of the bar 24 will suddenly impelsaid bar 24 toward the right and thereby bring about removal of thebridge or contact piece 23 from between the terminals 21 and 22, so thatthe lamp in the circuit will be extinguished.

It will be understood from the foregoing that an appreciable interval oftime will elapse between the inward pushing of the button 2 and theextinguishing of the lamp in the lighting circuit as is highly desirablein ractice.

or the setting of my novel switch and the establishment of the light inthe lighting circuit, it is simply necessary for the person in authorityto press inwardly on the button 1, whereupon the spring 4: will be putunder tension, and the spring strip 19 will be swung toward the left inFigure 1 so that the hammer head 20 by cooperation with'the lateralprojection 26 on the bar 24: will move the bridge or contact piece 23into position between the terminals 21 and 22. This condition willattain until the button 2 is pressed inwardly as before described.

It will be gathered from the foregoing that in its broad aspect myinvention consists in a delayed action electric switch calculated tomaintain the lamps in a lighting circuit in operation for a materialperiod of time after the actuation of the element, movement of which iscalculated to bring about extinguishing of the'lamps.

With respect to the embodiment illustrated and specifically described, Iwould have it understood that I prefer in practice to employ theconstruction disclosed. I do not desire,-however, to be understood asconfining myself to the specific construction and rela tive arrangementof the parts, my invention being defined by my appended claims with-inthe scope of which changes in structure and in relative arrangement ofparts may be made without departure from my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters-Patent, 1s

1. In a delayed action electric switch and in combination, a frame, amovable circuit breaker, a movable operative controlled ele-' ment, andslow moving mechanism arranged to be set in motion by the movement ofthe operative controlled element; said mechanism including a projectionon the frame, a spring strip movable with said slow movlng mechanism,and a head on the strip and adapted to bring up against said projectionfor the tensioning ofthe spring strip and also adapted after saidtensioning to bring about sudden release of the head from the projectionwhereby the head will be impelled against the circuit breaker for themovement of the latter.

2. In an electric time switch for delayed action purposes and incombination, a frame, a movable circuit breaker, an operative controlledmovable element, a keeper connected with and movable by the same, asecond movable operative controlled element, swingable means connectedwith the second-named operative controlled element and having an arm forcooperation with said keeper and also having a spring strip and a headon the free portion thereof, said head for cooperation with the circuitbreaker, means on the frame for cooperating with said head and bringingabout tensioning of said strip, and spring means for bringing about slowmovement of said swingable element subsequently to the release of thearm thereof from the keeper.

3. In an electric time switch for delayed action purposes and incombination, a frame, a movable circuit breaker, an operative controlledmovable element, a keeper connected with and movable by the same, asecond. movable operative controlled element, swing-- able meansconnected with the second-named operative controlled element and havingan arm for cooperation with said keeper and also having a spring stripand a head on the free portion thereof, said head for cooperation withthe circuit breaker, means on the frame for cooperating with said headand bringing about tensioning of said strip, and spring means forbringing about slow movement of said swingable element subsequently tothe release of the arm thereof from the keeper; the said sprin meansincluding a ratchet disk movable Wlth the swingable element, a gear, apawl carried by the gear and engaged with the ratchet disk, and meansconnected with said gear for delaying rotation thereof.

4. In a delayed action electric switch and in combination, a frame, acircuit breaker, operative controlled movable elements, a keepercomplementary to one of said elements, spring means, a swingable elementmovable agalnst the action of said spring means into engagement withsaid keeper, means for retarding movement ofthe swingable element in theopposite direction, a connection between the swingable element and theother operative controlled movable element, a spring element carried bythe swingable element and adapted when released to impel the circuitbreaker and means cooperating with said spring element for thetensioning of said element and for the sudden release of the samefollowing such tensioning.

5. In a delayed action electric switch and in combination, a frame,spaced terminals, a circuit maker and breaker movable toward and from aposition between said terminals and having a rectilinearly movable barand projections thereon, a projection on the frame, operative controlledmovable elements, a keeper connected with and movable by one of saidelements, a swingable e1e-' mentconnected with the other operative con--trolled element and having an arm to engage said keeper and also havlnga spring strip terminatmg in a head, a projection on the frame for cootensioning an subsequent sudden release of erating with said head in theI v the sprin and mova 1e retractile spring connected at one end wit theframe, a cable interposed between and connected to the opposite end ofsaid retractile spring and the ratchet disk, a gear, a pawl carried bysaid gear for cooperation with the ratchet disk, ing or delayingrotation of the said gear.

In testimony. whereof I afiix my signature.

HAROLD U. MITCHELL.

with said swingable element, a

strip, a ratchet disk connected and means for retard-

